Porsche drops top on new 911 Cabriolet

BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 9th Jan 2019

PORSCHE Cars Australia (PCA) has confirmed pricing for the 992-series 911 Cabriolet that has been revealed in Carrera S and Carrera 4S forms ahead of its showroom arrival in the second quarter.

Priced from $286,500 and $302,600 before on-road costs for the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S and all-wheel-drive Carrera 4S respectively, the new 911 Cabriolet is $3450 dearer than its predecessor.

Compared to the 992-series 911 Coupe that made its international debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November last year, the soft-top costs $21,500 more – the same premium it commanded before.

Sporting unlimited headroom, the 911 Cabriolet has been upgraded with new hydraulics for its power-operated fabric roof with an integrated glass rear window, which allow it to be opened in about 12 seconds when travelling at speeds up to 50km/h.

The roof structure also contains magnesium bows, which Porsche claims “reliably prevent” the fabric from ballooning at high speeds, while a power-operated wind deflector shields necks from air turbulence.

Just like its eighth-generation 911 Coupe sibling, the drop-top is motivated by a revised 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged flat six-cylinder petrol engine that now produces 331kW of power at 6500rpm and 530Nm of torque from 2300 to 5000rpm, up 22kW/30Nm, although Porsche says other variants are planned.

Mated to an eight-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission, the 911 Cabriolet can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds in Carrera S guise, while the Carrera 4S reaches triple digits 0.1s earlier.

The optional Sports Chrono package shaves 0.2s from either time, while the Carrera S has a top speed of 306km/h – 2km/h faster than the Carrera 4S can manage.

Aside from the engine’s improved fuel injection, tweaked turbocharger layout and revised charge air cooling system, its new mounting position has increased the 911 Cabriolet’s torsional rigidity.

The Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sports chassis is available as an option for the first time on the 911 Cabriolet, adding harder and shorter springs that reduce ride height by 10mm, plus stiffer anti-roll bars that make for more neutral road feel and better weight distribution.

Rear- and all-wheel-drive 911 Cabriolet variants now feature the same wide-body look that is complemented by 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels at the front and rear respectively, in a move that was first made with the 911 Coupe.

Available equipment includes Wet Road driving mode, a 10.9-inch touchscreen PCM infotainment system, two multi-function displays, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, a reversing camera and night vision with thermal imaging.

Sales of the 911 significantly improved last year, with 511 examples sold – an 18.6 per cent increase over the 431 deliveries made during 2017.

As a result, the 911 was the best-selling sportscar in the $200,000-plus segment, outpacing Ferrari’s model line-up (241 units), Mercedes-AMG’s GT (172) and Aston Martin’s coupes and convertibles (161), among others.

2019 Porsche 911 Cabriolet pricing*